Forgive Me
by walkingdeaddaryl
Summary: Clary lives on her own and is a senior in High School. she is the victim of cruel bullying and when a golden boy and his siblings join the school they seem to fit in greatly with the crowd that bullys her. They are actually nice to her but what happens when things are unfortunately not what they seem? Does Jace really like her? Or is he just part of a cruel joke against her? READ!
1. Chapter 1

High school… is a cruel thing. Evil and demented! Not to mention the demons that roam the halls and think they're cool. I wasn't the most popular girl in school- actually let me take that back- I was a loser. The cool people used me like I was their own personal punching bag. So you can imagine why I was looking forward to school this morning… hint- SARCASM!

I get up and get dressed in a pair of black leggings that had small anchors on them and an oversized blue sweater that hung to my mid thigh. I did my makeup and grabbed my bag and headed out the door. My mother and father died in a car wreck about 6 years ago and my brother went to college- so it was just me. No one knew that I lived alone other than my 3 friends Mia, Simon and Magnus. I work at Java café with a band to pay the bills but it's hardly enough. Luckily I have no mortgage to pay so that makes things a bit easier.

I haven't talked to my brother ever since he moved away and I can't help but resent him for it.

I walk down the street and then up the stone steps and into the horrid high school building. As soon as I step through the doors I run into a striking boy that MUST be new. He had golden hair and golden eyes and a tan that seemed all natural. He notices my stare and flashes a beautiful smile towards me that makes me want to melt and he says, "Look little red, I know that I may be gorgeous but… starring is rude."

I shake my head and plaster a smirk on my face that matches his own as I retort, "Starring is such a strong word and you wouldn't want to be presumptuous so I'll go ahead and say that I was not starring at your so called 'beauty' but merely pondering how your ego hasn't cost the school to crumble under maximum capacity."

"Very feisty aren't we?" he asks with a wink and I can feel my blush but I try to hide it behind my hair. I begin to walk away but he stops me by saying, "Uh, I'm kind of new here and I have no idea where I'm going so…" but before I can reply, Kaelie- school slut and head of one of the crews that bullies me- emerges out of nowhere to assist the stranger.

"Well hello handsome, I'm Kaelie and you are?" he seems amused and I roll my eyes as he replies,

"Jace"

Kaelie notices me staring at the two of them and she scoffs and says, "What are you looking at ginger? Stop being such an ass and get out of my way before me and Sebby give you a trip to the school pool."

I shudder at her words but keep my head down as I walk away but I should have known that Kaelie wouldn't have let me go that easy because just as I am turning around, I feel a foot come up from behind me and kick me to the ground. I fall on my knees and my things go everywhere. I look back up at Kaelie and see her snickering and laughing and then I look at Jace. His face is neutral and I feel a bit of disappointment go through me. I can't believe I would think that he would be different than them.

I gather all of my stuff and go to my class.

I sit down in my desk in art and get out my sketchbook. I start sketching but stop when I feel a sticky substance slowly make its way down my back. I dart up from my seat and turn around to see a smirking Sebastian Verlac and a hysterical Seelie Queen who is laughing her extensions off at me. I feel tiny tears prick my eyes so I gather all my things and dart out of art and towards the girl's bathroom. I take off the sweater- leaving me in a white tank top and begin wiping the honey off my back the best I can. Tears flow freely down my face as I clean myself and I don't bother whipping them away. I look at the inside of my sweater to find honey coats the top of it. I sigh and more tears come to my eyes. I put the sweater under the sink and turn the water on and desperately try to wring all of the honey out of it.

When I am convinced that the sweater is free of the honey, I dry it off so that it is damp with a paper towel and then run it under the hand dryer. I dry my eyes with the back of my hand and look at my watch. Great. I've already missed 45 minutes of art and I didn't even get to start my project. I was an amazing artist- not as good as my mother- but I used to sell them when she was still alive. Now I keep them in the attic to collect dust. I slip on the sweater that is still a little damp with water and grab my bag to leave. As I am walking to class, I bump into Jace again but this time instead of cockiness, he is sincere. "Hey… uh sorry I didn't help you out back there. What Kaelie did was kind of uncalled for…"

I scoff and say, "Yeah… but that's just how it works around here. Pick on the ginger midget and you're sure to be cool throughout the year."

"That's horrible," he says and scrunches his eyebrows as he begins walking with me.

"Yeah, it really sucks but… it happens." He shakes his head and is about to say something else when I stop him and ask him, "Why are you talking to me? It's clear that you are accepted among the popular crowd and they probably already have a seat at lunch with your name on it so… why?"

If I wasn't mistaken, I could almost see a flash of nervousness cross his face but it is gone before I can register it. "I-I guess I'm just not like them…" he manages and I just nod.

"So," he says before I go into the classroom, "Can I sit with _you_ at lunch?"

I raise my eyebrows up at him in surprise but then stutter out, "Uh... s-sure"

He smiles but I can see that it is held back by something… guilt? But why? He just got here…

I walk into the art room once again and the teacher gives me a glare and asks, "And _what_ is your reason for being 50 minutes late Miss Morgenstern?!"

I look down at the white tile but someone speaks for me. "She ran into a _sticky_ situation, Madame Dorothea." I look up and scowl at the source and see it was Sebastian Verlac. I sigh and look back at Madame Dorothea. She doesn't say anything just points her finger at my seat and I obey. I listen to Madame Dorothea talk for the next 20 minutes and then the bell rings. I get out of my seat but Sebastian pushes me back and smacks me on the head quite hard. I see a few stars in my vision but they go away quickly and I watch as they all leave the room.

I hate my life- I really do!

I want nothing more than to leave this place and all of my memories with it.

I walk to second block and ignore all the people who continue to make fun of my height and hair. I hear someone behind me and I turn around so I am looking at the square glasses of one of my best friends- Simon. "You scared the shit out of me!" I say and laugh.

"Well we wouldn't want that, no would we?" I punch him in the arm and he breaks into laughter. Soon, my other glittery friend approaches us and asks,

"What'd you do to him darling?"

"NOTHING I SWEAR!" I roll my eyes and ask, "So are you guys coming to Java after school?"

"I can't love, I told you. I've got a shift at the hair salon that I can't miss or Jeremy will DEF fire me!" says Magnus. I nod and give him a smile.

"I'll come- it's not like I have a life anyway." I laugh and say, "Thank you!" he nods and the bell rings.

"Well I have to go, see you all soon?"

"Yeah, save us a spot at lunch!" says Si and I wave at him in confirmation. Second block goes by quickly and then it is time for lunch- with Jace.

I walk into the cafeteria and try to avoid the crowd of populars that make my life a living hell. I get an apple from the line and then go to sit down at the table to wait for Simon and Magnus to join me. I get out my sketch book and begin to draw again when I hear a guy clear their throat. I look up and am met with the golden eyes of Jace. Behind him, are two striking people. One of them is a girl with gorgeous long raven dark hair and deep brown eyes. She is absolutely beautiful. Next to her is a boy that is very similar to her with dark raven hair but instead of deep brown, his eyes are an electric bright blue. He wears a scowl on his face but I ignore it. "Mind if we sit?" asks Jace with a cocky smirk on his face.

I clear my throat and quit my obnoxious staring and nod my head, motioning for them to sit down. The boy is silent but the girl is all talk. "Hey, I'm Isabelle but you can call me Iz or Izzy… this is my annoyingly antisocial brother- Alec. Don't take any offense to his mood- he's always like this." I laugh at her forwardness but nod my head and say, "I'm Clary, it's uh… nice to meet you. Both of you." I offer Alec a smile but he only tilts his head sideways.

Izzy elbows him, receiving a glare but she just rolls her eyes. Soon Magnus and Simon join us. Magnus gives an approving smile when he sees Alec and Simon looks like he's about to faint when he sees Isabelle. I laugh a bit but it goes unnoticed. "So Clary darling, would you mind introducing us to your little friends?" asks Magnus while quirking his eyebrow.

"Oh, yes Magnus, Simon, this is Isabelle, Alec, and Jace. They're new."

"Oh I noticed…definitely." Says Magnus eyeing Alec and I see Alec blush a little. We all sit down and eat and talk and I become curious because I haven't had anything thrown at me or said to me all lunch. I look over at the table of populars and see they are eyeing me and some of them are laughing. Nothing has happened so I can't imagine what's so funny. I ignore them until lunch ends and then the torment starts again.

Kaelie walks next to me and winds her arm in mine and Seelie does the same to my other arm. "Hey Seelie, what do you call a red head midget with no friends?"

Seelie laughs and says, "Who cares? Who would ever care about someone like THAT!?" at the same time, they throw me on the ground and kick my shin with their stiletto heels. Hot tears poor down my cheeks and I rush to wipe them away as the two leave. I get up and see Jace staring at me.

I groan and ask, "What?!" I don't mean to be so cruel to him but I was angry.

"I'm sorry… uh I was just going to ask you if you were doing anything after school today?"

I am taken aback by his question and hate my response, "I have to work."

Disappointment goes across his face but then brightens again and he asks, "Well where do you work?"

"Uhh… Java café. I work with the band."

"OH! Then I'll come see you!" I manage out a small okay before I go full female and break out into a serious blush. The day goes by like all the others- name calling and tripping.

When the bell rings, I sprint out of the building before anyone can catch me and walk down the street, trying my best to blend in with the crowd. I walk into Java and am greeted by the band. Most of them were in college except for Ty who just simply got bored with school and dropped out last year. We begin discussing what songs we would like to perform and settle on a couple of them.

My role in the band is lead singer and guitarist. Ty is the drummer. Jordan is bass. Paul is piano and singer. The songs that he writes are the ones he sings and all the others are mine. I love my band and they tolerate me but deep down I know that they have a soft spot for me. Before we start performing, four people walk in the door. Jace, Alec, Isabelle, and Simon who is gawking at Isabelle. I laugh but then the manager- Tony- gives me a scowl that says it's time to work so we begin-

_I'm sorry, I'm really a mess right now__  
__I'm trying my best to get it together somehow__  
__I can't see this way, locked up in this pain that you left me__  
__I'm unraveling, looking for things that'll never be___

_Stars fade away they just crash into space__  
__Disappear from the light like you and I___

_Tell me where love goes when it's gone__  
__Tell me where hearts go when they go wrong__  
__Suddenly someone is no one I've come__  
__Undone, undone, undone__  
__Undone, undone, undone___

_I'm sorry, I let me fall for you__  
__I can erase you and forget you but I can't undo you__  
__You're the hand I can't hold, the words I'm not told when I'm lonely__  
__And I don't want you back, I just want to have what you took from me___

_Stars fade away they just crash into space__  
__Disappear from the light like you and I___

_Tell me where love goes when it's gone__  
__Tell me where hearts go when they go wrong__  
__Suddenly someone is no one I've come__  
__Undone, undone, undone___

_I'll come around again__  
__I know it's not the end__  
__But right now I've got nowhere to begin__  
__To begin___

_Tell me where love goes when it's gone__  
__Tell me where hearts go when they go wrong__  
__Suddenly someone is no one I've come__  
__Undone, undone, undone___

_Nothing but emptiness inside__  
__Love leaves a black hole where it dies__  
__How can I ever love again, I've come__  
__Undone, undone, undone__  
__Undone, undone, undone__  
__Undone, undone_

I finish and a chorus of applause and halers come from the café. I wave at the guys to take a small break and I walk to the table that Jace is sitting at. "That was… wow." He says and I see true admiration clear in his eyes.

I smile and say, "Thanks."

He stares at me for another moment, a smile still embedded in his face and then Isabelle approaches us.

"Wow wow wow! You're really good Clary. I think we're going to be friends!" she winks at me and I return a smile. Alec on the other hand, doesn't say anything but for a moment I swear I can see his scowl soften but then it's right back in its usual place. I sigh and then _they _come in.

"Well if it isn't our favorite gingemite Clarissa Morgenstern!" I close my eyes and take a deep breath as I turn to look at Sebastian and the rest of his gang. "Why don't you go sing us a little song?" I can tell Isabelle is about to say something and I really appreciate it but I stop her by obeying and walking up to the platform again. I tell the guys what I want to perform next and I receive some 'Okays'.

_When everything turns to black__  
__You don't know where to go__  
__You need something__  
__To justify your soul___

_Silence is broken__  
__Confidence is gone__  
__Everything you're holding on to__  
__Falls___

_All the people selling truths__  
__On every corner now__  
__The wait until the fear__  
__Has knocked you down___

_All the rules are changing now__  
__You're living in sin__  
__Everything around you is caving in__  
__All you're holding on to__  
__Slipping like water through your hands___

_And you sing__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__Ya you sing__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la___

_Far off in the distance__  
__Somewhere you can't see__  
__Allegiances have formed your destiny__  
__Opposition all around__  
__Feeding off your soul__  
__Trying hard to swallow up you whole__  
__And the demons all around you waiting__  
__For you to sell your soul___

_They're singing__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__They're singing__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la___

_Oh la la la la la__  
__Oh la la la la la___

_They're singing__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__They're singing__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
__La la la la__  
_

I get done and I'm panting a little because that's kind of a hard song to do but I wanted to affect Sebastian and his friends in some way. I got nothing from them, just a bunch of laughs. Everyone else cheered and yelled and I felt a small spark of pride in me but that was all taken away when Aline Penhallow walked in and started shouting things at me while I was on stage. "OMG, who let that tramp on stage?! She's probably just going to strip for us and collect money like the whore she really is!"

I had had enough. I felt tears prick my eyes yet again and I told the guys that I was going to take a small break. They nodded and I say the pity on their faces which made me even madder. I didn't want pity, I didn't need it. I had gone this long without pity and I sure as hell didn't need it now! I go into the back room and sit down on one of the boxes and run my hands through my frizzy hair. I take a few deep breaths and clench and unclench my fists, feeling relief when my nails leave marks in the skin. I laugh pointlessly at myself and take a few more deep breaths and pull myself together before facing the crowd once again.

When I walk back out, I see Aline flirting heavily with Jace and he is just laughing. I feel disappointment once again and then silently scold myself. Did I really think that Jace was just going to accept me? How stupid could I be?! I was so naïve to think that a guy like that would even consider being friends with a girl like me, but that doesn't change the feeling of betrayal. He was the first guy in months- apart from Mags and Si- that had been nice to me… and now he was sucked into the egotistical and seductive ways of Alone Penhallow of all people! Paul says that he wants to do some of his songs and I agree that that would be best. He walks up to the microphone to get people attention and then motions for me to begin playing. He begins singing one of my favorite songs and I get lost in the melody.

_Well you only need the light when it's burning low__  
__Only miss the sun when it starts to snow__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low__  
__Only hate the road when you're missin' home__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go__  
__And you let her go___

_Staring at the bottom of your glass__  
__Hoping one day you'll make a dream last__  
__But dreams come slow and they go so fast___

_You see her when you close your eyes__  
__Maybe one day you'll understand why__  
__Everything you touch surely dies___

_But you only need the light when it's burning low__  
__Only miss the sun when it starts to snow__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low__  
__Only hate the road when you're missin' home__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_Staring at the ceiling in the dark__  
__Same old empty feeling in your heart__  
__'Cause love comes slow and it goes so fast___

_Well you see her when you fall asleep__  
__But never to touch and never to keep__  
__'Cause you loved her too much__  
__And you dived too deep___

_Well you only need the light when it's burning low__  
__Only miss the sun when it starts to snow__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low__  
__Only hate the road when you're missin' home__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_And you let her go (oh, oh, ooh, oh no)__  
__And you let her go (oh, oh, ooh, oh no)__  
__Will you let her go?___

_'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low__  
__Only miss the sun when it starts to snow__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low__  
__Only hate the road when you're missin' home__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_'Cause you only need the light when it's burning low__  
__Only miss the sun when it starts to snow__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_Only know you've been high when you're feeling low__  
__Only hate the road when you're missin' home__  
__Only know you love her when you let her go___

_And you let her go_

We finish and applause sounds through the place. We perform more songs and to my surprise, only a few people leave the café. When we are finished, it is 4:30 and I am exhausted! I look forward to crashing onto the sofa and watching Harry Potter on repeat.

I jump off the stage and am greeted by Jace who look almost… proud? But why would he be proud? "So, Clary… I know that I just met you and everything but I think you're pretty cool and well… let's face it… I'm pretty cool too… and uh…"

I laugh and tilt my head to the side and ask, "What are trying to ask me Jace?"

He look increasingly frustrated as he runs a hand through his gorgeous hair and says, "I've kinda never done this before but uh… do you wanna see a movie or something tomorrow?"

I pretend to ponder this through my mind but really the only thing I can think of is… _the hottest guy in school just asked me out of a date… A REAL DATE! Why would he do that? I'm flat chested, short, red headed Clary and he's… well he is GORGEOUS! _"Yeah, that sounds like fun," I say coolly and he nods with a smirk on his face.

"Well," I say before it gets more awkward, "I have to go… homework and everything."

He arches and eyebrow and says, "But it's a Saturday…"

I nod and say, "Yeah… but I can't do homework tomorrow night… you see I have this _thing_."

He smirks and says, "Easy their Morgenstern… you don't know how lucky you have it. Many girls would KILL to be in your position right now."

I laugh and turn around so he can't see my infuriated blush and I wave my hand above my head and say, "See ya Jace."

I walk home that night thinking of nothing other than the butterflies in my stomach and storm going on in my head. I've had boyfriends before… okay granted it was _one _boyfriend and it was in _sixth grade_ but that still counted… right? Anyway, I had never been on a date before and I had no idea what I was supposed to do! I got home and turned on all the lights. My tiredness had faded and was replaced by anticipation and adrenaline. I was excited so I went ahead and began rifling through my closet for an appropriate garment. It's in these times that I really miss my mom. She could help me pick out an outfit… help me with my makeup… my hair… I shake my mind off of her and direct my attention back to my closet, which only makes my frown deepen.

The only thing I have in my closet is oversized sweaters, band T's, skinny jeans, and black tank tops. I suppose I could wear a black tank and my red leather jacket but… I wasn't trying to scare the guy away. I groan in frustration. It wasn't like I could go shopping; I barely had enough money to bring food home! I sigh and decide that I will just worry about my wardrobe tomorrow because the familiar feeling of sleep was overtaking my eyes again and my mind became foggy with sleep so I take off my sweater and throw it in the hamper. I also take off my tank top and leggings and I change into an oversized T-Shirt that says Four Roses Distillery across the front of it. It used to be my brothers but I just use it as a sleeper.

I lie down and sleep has no trouble finding me at all.

I wake up to the door bell ringing rapidly and I shoot out of bed. I put my hair up in a messy bun quickly and scamper downstairs. _If this is Simon, it better be good!_ I open the door and to my surprise, Isabelle Lightwood stand there with a giant black case and a sinister grin on her face. "Uh… Izzy! What are you doing here?"

"Well… I came here to help you with your date!"

A million questions go through my mind at once and I ask, "How did you know I had a date tonight? A-and how did you know where I lived?"

She rolls her eyes and says, "Please, Jace can't keep ANYTHING from me! He told me he asked you out and you said yes and Simon gave me your address and your number. He's kind of cute… anyway; I wanted to help you get ready!"

I nod, still a little uncertain, but let her in. "Oh, I gave Jace your number BTW," she says as she sets her case on the couch.

"O-oh… okay? Uhm what's in the case? You aren't going to kill me, are you?" I joke but she doesn't get it as she says,

"NO! And this is my makeup!"

I nod but then say, "I don't really think I need that much help Izzy… it's really nice of you but-"

She cuts me off by holding her hand up and then looks me up and down, making me feel pretty insecure. "No offense Clary, but I think you need more help than you realize." I clear my throat, uncomfortable with the situation but I nod anyway.

A devious smile comes to her face and she says, "Okay! Now, show me your clothes!"

Oh no. when Isabelle sees my wardrobe she'll think I'm a joke. I panic and say, "Uh, I know what I'm going to wear."

"Perfect, now let me proof it! I've been on a lot of dates and I know what my brother likes… so I'll tell you if it's a go or not."

"Uh… uh…"

"That's what I thought. Now let me through or I will pick your skinny ass up and tie you to a chair and put you in some of MY clothes which are BOUND to give an impression on you!" my face flushes and I move sideways so she can go upstairs. She walks into my room and opens my closet. I can see the flash of surprise dance on her face but she conceals it immediately. "Well… I suppose we can work with this," she says but I reassure her, "No, Izzy its fine for you to say it. I haven't been shopping in a while and well… I usually don't do the whole 'date' thing so… hence the lack of clothing."

She looks at me with sympathy but then I can see the idea spark in her mind. "Well then I guess we will just have to go SHOPPING!"

I like the idea but I have to shoot her down again, "I don't have any money. My parents… err… they're off on business and only left me with enough money for groceries and food." She nods in understanding and then says, "Well that's no problem! I'll buy you clothes!"

"Oh, no Izzy it's really fine! I don't want you to waste your money on me."

She sighs and rolls her eyes and says, "Clary, you're my friend. I'm not _wasting_ my money on you. I'm happy to do it!"

"Are you sure? I mean I-" but she cuts me off.

"Clarissa Morgenstern I am getting you a new wardrobe if it kills you, now let's go!"

I laugh and tell her that I am going to get changed and she can do my hair and makeup when I get out of the shower. She squeals with happiness and I tell her to make herself comfortable with the TV or she can come up to my room and do whatever. She nods and I go to take my shower. When I get out, I slip on white skinny jeans with blue splatter patches in them and a salmon colored t-shirt that cuts very low in the back and has slits in the sides. I put on some brown ankle boots and the Morgenstern family ring around my neck as a necklace and then I call for Izzy.

She practically sprints upstairs and whistles at my outfit choice. "More style than I thought."

I raise both of my eyebrows and say, "Uh… thanks?" She laughs and sits me down in my vanity chair and begins to take a blow dryer to my hair. When she is done with my hair, it is in a unique but relaxed bun on the back of my head with a few curling strands falling around it.

"Wow," I say because it really does take my breath away.

Izzy smiles and says, "We aren't done yet…"

She spins me around so I am facing her and starts to do my makeup which was a little more painful than it needed to be. The finished product, however, was worth it. A classy yet seductive smoky eye and light bronzer to make me look a little more intimidating. She puts Chap Stick on my lips but no lipstick or lip-gloss. "And we are ready!" she yells as she grabs my arm and pulls me up out of my chair.

We get in her car and head towards the mall. When we get there, Izzy ushers me into Free People Clothing and immediately sees clothes for me. She throws me a white dress and says, "Jace likes white- he would love that." I roll my eyes but take it to the dressing room. I slip the dress on and am careful not to mess up my hair or makeup. I look at myself in the mirror and gasp. I could actually call myself _pretty_ in this dress. It was a white dress that didn't even come to mid thigh. It had a slight V neck. The sleeves were long and flowy and crochet at the bottom. The shoulders were cut out and started at the middle of my forearm. Spaghetti straps kept the dress from falling off my shoulders and I could honestly say that I fell in love with this dress.

"Clary, come out NOW!" I immediately obeyed and stepped out from behind the curtain.

Isabelle gasps and says, "Clary, this is your dress. Absolutely!"

I smile and say, "Izzy, I love it! It's gorgeous."

She smiles even more and a lady looking at shirts sees us and says, "Dear, that really is a beautiful dress."

I smile and say thank you and Izzy says, "Well… WE HAVE TO GET IT!" I laugh and run back into the changing room. I come back out in my clothes and the dress in my hand.

"Well…" I say and Izzy says, "Oh no! We are not leaving yet! I just got you to try on the most beautiful dress- I feel like I can do ANYTHING! We are getting more clothes for you! SHOPPING SPREE!" I give her a look and she says, "Don't worry, I'm getting clothes too!" I giggle and we pay for the dress and leave the store.

When we are done shopping, I have 8 shirts, 3 dresses, 4 skirts, and 4 pairs of jeans. Not to mention 5 pallets of eye shadow, 3 tubes of mascara, 2 plates of foundation and bronzer, 1 plate of blush, and 6 different eyeliners. I also go 6 different pairs of shoes.

Izzy left with 4 shirts, 5 dresses, 2 skirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 jackets, 1 bra, and 5 pairs of shoes. I really hoped that she wouldn't get in trouble for spending ALL THAT MONEY but according to Iz, she barely used up her allowance for the week, which really shocked me!

We drive home with our bags and Izzy begins to work on me. She takes off my makeup and takes down my hair and brushes it out and I have to admit that I am a little disappointed to see it go. "Get your dress on," she orders and I obey. When I come back out she smiles at the dress and tells me to sit down again. She stresses my hair and puts it up in a high pony tail with one lock of hair hanging down to frame my face. She puts bronzer and foundation on me and does my eyes dramatic and sexy with a mixture of browns, grays, and blacks. She makes my eyelashes look about 10X longer and fuller than they actually are and then to top it all off, puts a light coat of Vegas red lip stick on me. I look at myself and I feel like a movie star.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you! Isabelle I think I love you!" she laughs and says, "I know you do, no go get him." The doorbell rings just as she says that and I smile at her once again before heading towards the door.

"Wait! Clary!" I turn around and say, "What is it?" she hands me some white and light brown wedges and I look down to realize that I'm not wearing any shoes. I blush out of embarrassment and say, "Thanks!" before slipping them on and heading towards the door again.

I open the door and see Jace standing there coolly and dare I say- sexy? He looks up at me and his eyes go wide, making me blush. "C-Clary you look… you look amazing."

I smile up at him he gestures for me to follow him to his car. I walk next to him as he opens the door for me and I climb in. he goes to the driver's seat and starts the car, occasionally stealing glances at me and smiling. I can't help but keep the smile on my face. Who would have thought that in a million years the hottest guy in school would ask ME out!

He drives us to the movie theatre and gets our tickets to see Silver Linings Playbook. We both agreed on the movie and he joked that I just wanted to see it because Bradley Cooper was the lead and I joked that the only reason he wanted to see it was because Jennifer Lawrence was in it. We playfully argued about that until I let him win, but he would never admit that. We watch the movie in silence and in the middle of it, Jace rests his hand on mine and I make the bold decision to intertwine our fingers. I look out of the corner of my eye and see him smiling which gives me great relief. When the movie is over, Jace takes me to a restaurant called Taki's. We talk all night about him and how he was adopted by the lightwoods when he was younger and why Alec is always such a prude.

I am laughing when he asks me, "Well, what about your parents?" my laughter dies and I look at him seriously. I want to lie to him and tell him that they were happily married and my mother was an artist and my father was a lawyer but something about those golden eyes made it impossible for me to lie to him.

"They're dead… car accident." His joyous face falls but not to pity like everyone else's, just to sincerity.

"I'm sorry…" he says.

I scrunch my eyebrows and ask, "Why are you sorry? You weren't driving the car."

He looks back up at me and says, "I know… but someone should say it… might as well be me. So who do you live with now?" he asks, clearly trying to lighten the mood.

"Uh… no one… I live alone."

His expression is confusion as he asks, "Well then who pays for your bills or food?"

"Uh… me."

Now he is shocked. "But you're only 17!"

I give a dry laugh and say, "Yeah I am, but I've taken care of myself for this long. I have a brother but he went off to college this year. I haven't heard from him since. He's lucky… he finally got out of here… just like he always wanted," I say more to myself than anyone else.

I look up to him and see his eyes are on the table and a strange emotion is on his face. Remorse? Regret? "Hey, what's wrong?" I ask him.

He looks back up with a phony smile on his face and says, "Nothing at all. You know Clary, I like you…"

I feel my blush return and I say, "Yeah… the feelings mutual."

He gives a grin and he slides his hand across the table to hold mine.

We get the check and Jace kindly pays then we walk outside. We get in his car and drive to my house. I look at the big house for a moment and realize that once I say goodbye to Jace, I am alone again. I sigh and open the door. I step out and Jace follows after me. "What are you doing?" I ask with a small laugh.

"Well it would be rude of me to not walk you to your door." He smirks and looks at me. We stand at my door for a moment I say, "Thanks Jace… tonight was great."

I am about to open the door when he says, "Wait, Clary…" I look back at him but before I can say anything, he takes hold on my neck and pulls me in and kisses me softly. My eyes go wide and then flutter closed again as I move my lips against his. I break away from him and blush at the sight of my lipstick on his lips.

"Uh… goodnight Jace," I say a lot more easy than I thought it would be.

"Goodnight Clary."

I shut the door and lean against it and take a couple deep breaths as a smile creeps on my face. I was ecstatic- over the moon! This guy- new to the school- asks me out despite all of the humiliating events that occurred today and I actually had FUN. He didn't make fun of me at all and call me crazy but after one day with him… I may have started falling for him.

What a fool I was. If only I knew what he was going to do to me then… I could have been saved the heartbreak. But I fell for him… and I fell hard.

**A/N: thank you for reading! Not all of these chapters will be this long- sad to say- but I am really excited to write this story! I have a great plot for it and I can't wait to share it with you. I have cross country every day after school from 3:30 to 8 so I won't be able to update on weekdays but I will on weekends! **

**Read next week to find out what Jace did!**

**Thanks for reading! REVIEW!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Thank you for all the reviews guys! They mean a lot!**

It has been a week since mine and Jace's date and ever since then, he would hold my hand in the hall, sit with me at lunch, he would even kiss me during class and between class changes. He was coming over tonight so we could watch a movie and I couldn't help but feel a little jittery. I got ready by slipping on ripped skinny jeans and a green, bat-sleeved shirt with a white tank top underneath. I put my hair up in a messy bun and then I hear the doorbell ring downstairs. A grin spreads on my face and I fly down the stairs. I take about five seconds in front of the door before opening it slowly and trying to keep my cool.

"Hey," he says with a grin.

I smile and he leans down and kisses me sweetly. He pulls back and I see yet another flash of resentment in his face. I am about to say something when he says, "So, movie?" The smile goes back to my face and I nod. I lead him into the dimly lit living room where an old TV sits on a rickety table in the corner with various wires sticking out. I then become aware on how terrible this place may look. I've never really had time to fix it up properly.

I turn around and see him looking at the floor solemnly. He must think this place is disgusting. "Uh… hey on second thought, why don't we just go out? This place is a mess and I hardly doubt there is anything good on TV so…" I offer.

He looks up from the floor and that look of distaste is plastered on his face as he says, "Yeah… sure." His response makes me furrow my eyebrows even more. These past days have been bliss- filled with kissing and sweet words and laughter. What happened? What was wrong with him?

"J-Jace… we can do whatever you want just… tell me what's wrong." He looks at me and a mask of happiness is put on his face and he replies, "Nothing is wrong love. Just a little tired. Perhaps we could… take a nap?" he raises his eyebrows and I can't help but giggle.

"Unlikely," I say with that silly smile on my lips.

He pouts and says, "Just 10 minutes? Just so I can rest my eyes? And then we can go get some ice cream…" I roll my eyes but sigh in defeat.

I lead him to my room and he crashes on the bed then pulls me in after him. He drapes a strong, protective arm around my midsection and sighs into my hair. I myself am about to drift off when I hear him ask, "Clary?"

"Yeah?" I mumble back.

"Why do you live by yourself and not your brother?"

I pause for a moment and consider my next words carefully. "Because he doesn't want me around… and after my mom and dad died… I kind of shut everyone out… including Jon. He's never forgiven me and I've never tried for his forgiveness so… nothing has ever happened between us. But, I don't need him anymore… I've taken care of myself for this long."

I feel him gently kiss behind my ear and he breathes out, "Tell me about your parents."

I scrunch my eyebrows. I've never told anyone about dear old mum or dad. Still, I feel comfortable enough around Jace. So… "They were… different from each other, that's for sure. Mom was an artist who could do wonders with a paint brush. Everyone always said that I looked like her but I never could see it. She was beautiful and graceful. I remember waking up every morning to the smell of black coffee and paint. I would rush downstairs and there she would be: a cup of black coffee in her left hand and a beautiful, unfinished canvas in front of her."

I think about her until Jace says, "And your dad?"

I sigh and say, "He is a different story. Valentine Morgenstern was a very complex man. If he didn't get what he wanted he would rage. Sometimes he would hit us but… that didn't mean he didn't love us, I guess. He would make it up to us though, he would bring mom flowers and whisper sweet things to her… he would give Jon a new soccer ball and ruffle his hair… he would… he would bring me new paints and blank canvases and tell me he was so proud of his little girl…"

I sniff back a few tears and I can feel Jace's grip on me tighten as he says, "I am so sorry… I should have never brought it up. Clary I… I love you Clare."

I turn around in his grip and see him looking at me with nothing but sincerity. I kiss him sweetly and he kisses back. "I love you too," I say and I gently press our foreheads together.

Instead of going for ice cream, we stayed there all night until Jace said he had to leave. I let him get up and he showed himself to the door.

I woke up to the blare of my alarm clock and I groan as I slam the snooze button. I look at my phone and see that I got hundreds of texts from Izzy and Simon and Magnus. Worry clouds my thoughts and I click on one message from Izzy-

_What did you and Jace DO last night?! Everyone saw!_

Saw what? What was she talking about?

I clicked on a message from Simon-

_Please tell me this isn't true… please tell me you didn't!_

Now I was really worried! WHAT DID I DO!?

I clicked on a message from Magnus-

_I can't believe this is happening. This doesn't even seem like YOU Clary! What happened?_

I decide to ignore the messages for now and get ready for school so I can talk about it with them. I decide on high waisted ripped shorts, a gray tank top, and a white, lace crop top with combat boots and my lucky pair of aviators. I do my hair and makeup and walk out the door. When I get to school, no one is tripping me making snide comments- they all just stare.

I can feel my face flush as I walk through the silent crowd and to my locker. Jace is usually at my locker with a smirk and compliment for me but this time, he was nowhere in sight. I get my book and slam the locker back shut and turn to face the crowd again. I begin walking to art with my head down and when I get in the room, I immediately drop my books and feel hot tears threaten to spill over my face at the sight. Jace sits on a desk passionately making out with Kaelie Court. They immediately separate when they hear the books drop and I expect there to be a look of regret on Jace's face but instead, there is a grin.

"W-Why?" I ask in a shaky but deep voice.

I hear Kaelie laughing as Jace says, "You really think I would fall for you? Wow… no you see Clary, it will never be you. I'm just… out of your league." He smirks and goes back to his steamy make out session with Kaelie. By this time, all tears have stopped and now I am just a puffy eyed girl with a broken heart. I rush out of the room and into the girl's bathroom before anyone can see me.

I text Isabelle and within minutes, she is in the bathroom with me, crouched next to me with tissues. "I can't believe he did this Clary… I am so so so so so so sorry!"

I ignore her apologies on behalf of her brother and ask, "Isabelle… what happened this morning… the reason you texted me." She looks down at her lap and says,

"Clary, you don't want to know."

I look back up at her with a red face and puffy eyes and say, "Yeah I do Izzy… tell me."

She sighs and takes out her IPhone and shows me a picture with a caption on it-

_Here you go Sebastian… one ginger!_

The picture is of me and Jace lying down in bed with his arm around me. I begin to shake uncontrollably at the realization that he must have sent this to the whole school. I put my head in my hands and cry and cry and cry. "No, no, no!" I repeat.

"Oh Clary! I swear to the angel that I will make him pay for this I SWEAR it!"

I decide to leave school that day and go to the café. I spend all that time in the storage closet in the back writing music and drawing. I look at the time on my phone and see that it is 3:00 and that if I left the closet now, I technically couldn't be arrested for missing school without a real purpose. I walk out- my face a stone slate- and begin to set up the band on the stage.

When everyone gets here, we begin tuning our instruments and waiting for a crowd to come in. to my horror, Jace, Sebastian, Seelie, Aline, Kaelie, and all the other jocks and bimbos waltz in laughing at something Jace said. I feel a small part of me quiver at his presence but I decided that I needed money more than I needed him and I just needed to suck it up. Our eyes meet but I quickly pull my gaze away from him as they sit down and we begin to play.

_Come up to meet you, tell you I'm sorry__  
__You don't know how lovely you are__  
__I had to find you, tell you I need you__  
__Tell you I'll set you apart___

_Tell me your secrets and ask me your questions__  
__Oh let's go back to the start__  
__Running in circles, coming in tails__  
__Heads on a science apart___

_Nobody said it was easy__  
__It's such a shame for us to part__  
__Nobody said it was easy__  
__No one ever said it would be this hard__  
__Oh, take me back to the start.___

_I was just guessing at numbers and figures__  
__Pulling your puzzles apart__  
__Questions of science, science and progress__  
__Do not speak as loud as my heart___

_Tell me you love me, come back and haunt me__  
__Oh and I rush to the start__  
__Running in circles, chasing our tails__  
__Coming back as we are___

_Nobody said it was easy__  
__Oh it's such a shame for us to part__  
__Nobody said it was easy__  
__No one ever said it would be so hard__  
__I'm going back to the start_

I look back up at the crowd of popular people and see them all laughing or talking… except for him. He just stares at me with what looks like guilt. I just scoff and try to pull the tears away from my eyes. "Hey Paul… uh do you wanna take this over?" I ask him while looking at the floor.

"Are you sure Clary? I mean… you kind of have them riled up." I shake my head and he says, "Well, okay."

He greets the crowd and I sit on a stool with my guitar in my lap and wait for him to motion at us to play.

_Come on skinny love just last the year__  
__Pour a little salt, we were never here__  
__My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my__  
__Staring at the sink of blood and crushed veneer___

_Tell my love to wreck it all__  
__Cut out all the ropes and let me fall__  
__My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my__  
__Right in this moment this order's tall___

_And I told you to be patient__  
__And I told you to be fine__  
__And I told you to be balanced__  
__And I told you to be kind___

_In the morning I'll be with you__  
__But it will be a different kind__  
__I'll be holding all the tickets__  
__And you'll be owning all the fines___

_Come on skinny love, what happened here?__  
__We suckled on the hope in lite brassieres__  
__My, my, my, my, my, my, my, my__  
__Sullen load is full, so slow on the split___

_And I told you to be patient__  
__And I told you to be fine__  
__And I told you to be balanced__  
__And I told you to be kind___

_And now all your love is wasted__  
__And then who the hell was I?__  
__And I'm breaking at the britches__  
__And at the end of all your lines___

_Who will love you?__  
__Who will fight?__  
__Who will fall far behind?__  
__Ooh, ooh__  
_

I'm glad that Paul chose that song because it was one of my favorites. I have to say though, that by the end, it was clear to everyone that I was crying because I wouldn't look at the audience and tears were obviously dripping down to the floor. I sniff and feel someone's hand gently rub my shoulder. I don't pay attention to who it is, I just quietly dismiss myself from the stage and go to the back room to put the guitar up- I was done for the day. When I shut the door behind me, I really breakdown. I can't help it!

He told me he loved me and I said I loved him too! Then the next morning, he tells everyone that I slept with him and cheats on me! I am about to leave but someone comes into the room with me. I look up and expect it to be Paul or another one of the guys but instead it is the one and only Sebastian.

"Hey you little tramp, no need to ruin that pretty little face of your with tears!"

I don't say anything; I just stare at him with pure hatred and loathing. "And to think," He continues, "all this time you have lived in that house all by yourself… daddy and mommy gone… brother hating you… it's really a sad story! I almost broke down when I heard that your dad used to hit you and your family-"

I cut him off by practically screaming, "How did you know about that!?"

He rolls his eyes and says, "Who do you think told me?"

Of course Jace told him… Jace probably told him everything… "Leave me alone Sebastian… I mean it this time."

He smirks and says, "Of course princess!" I open the door and slip out past him. As I am leaving the place, I hear Seelie yell out,

"What a slut, she was in that closet with Sebastian… wondering what they were doing in there?" she laughs and I walk out the door. I greet the muggy air by breathing it in and trying to clear my hazy mind. I'm walking down the street when someone catches my arm. I turn around and breathe a sigh of relief when I see that it is my best friend Simon.

"Hey Clare…" he says to me. "Izzy told me."

I nod and collapse into his arms. He catches me and embraces me in a warm hug. "Come on… this definitely calls for a Harry Potter marathon."

I nod and manage a pathetic smile and we walk to Simon's house.

**A/N: this chapter may have been a little rushed but that's because I've got something BIG planned for later on!**

**P.S. my style of music is kind of… strange? So if anyone has any ideas for songs that are kind of popular- comment what they are!**

**Thank you so much for reading! REVIEW! REVIEW! REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

Two weeks have gone by now- two weeks since my whole world came crashing down on me again. To my surprise, I'm hardly ever picked on anymore. People still stare and murmur things but I've learned to ignore them completely. I'm not the same Clary I was a week ago. I'm cold and neutral. I prefer not to talk to people who annoy me and I don't tolerate those that do. I've even distanced myself a bit from Simon and Isabelle and Magnus. Why did a _boy_ of all things do this to me? How is that possible?

I hear my alarm go off again and I peel myself from the covers and turn the thing off. I get dressed in a Brandy Melville Los Angeles T-shirt and a pair of black ripped skinny jeans and white studded gladiator sandals. I do my makeup and hair and then grab my sunglasses and leave the house. When I get to school, I try to find Simon and Isabelle. I haven't really hung around Magnus that much because he has become a little "friendly" with Alec Lightwood if you know what I mean and we just don't really talk anymore. We still say hey in the hall and things but Mags eats with Alec and that crowd now- but I don't mind. Alec is friendly enough.

Isabelle finds me before I find her and says, "I love that shirt! Okay, so can we PLEASE talk about how cute Finn Markey is?!" I laugh and roll my eyes.

"Well, let me start, his eyes are creepy and they linger on you too long- staring issue. The amount of oil in his hair could fuel a car for 50 miles, and his breath smells like egg and cheese ALL THE TIME! Good enough for you?" she rolls her eyes and giggles.

"Whatever Clary!" she says still laughing. I give a smug smile but don't say anything back.

"Come on, let's go to class," I say to her and she groans. I put my stuff away in my locker and stride over to Art where my favorite people in the world will be. As I sit down I see Sebastian Verlac, Jace, Seelie, and Kaelie walk in all at the same time. Kaelie is flanked on Jace's arm but he seems a bit agitated at her which causes me to laugh and then divert my eyes to the window where the early signs of fall are starting to show.

I am disrupted when I feel a tap on my shoulder. I turn around and my eyes go cold. "What the hell do you want Sebastian?" I spit his name out like it was venom but he doesn't seem to notice or care.

"Well, the fall mixer is coming up- as you know- and I would be SO GRATEFUL if you were to accompany me." I scoff and roll my eyes at him.

"No thank you. I have better things to do."

He smirks but fakes hurt and says, "Oh darling, you're breaking my heart here! Come on, please go?"

I spin around again and say, "No Sebastian! Now, do us both a favor and make out with Seelie! Then you can go with her and maybe, she'll let you have sex with her behind the bleachers!" I spin back around, leaving him shocked as well as Jace and the girls. And that is what I mean by "intolerant of people who annoy me."

I hear him move away from behind me and I start to draw the single tree that stands depressingly by itself outside the window. "That's pretty good," says a silky voice.

"Go the hell away Jace," I say with as much hatred as possible.

"Damn, I didn't know that in order to get on your good side, compliments were a big NO."

I glare at my hands and say darkly, "There is no way in hell that you are ever going to get on my 'good side.' So why don't you just go away, make out with your girlfriend and wait for your freakin prom cause you are getting nowhere here!" I look at him and he looks truly hurt by my words but quickly masks that with a smirk.

"See you later, Red," he says and gently nudges my shoulder. _Great,_ I think,_ now I'm going to have to burn this shirt!_ I sigh into my seat as the bell rings and then I begin to draw whatever my mind thinks of.

School passes pretty quickly and then I have work- Yay. I walk into the café and greet the guys with a genuine smile and go to get my guitar. I come out and see that the normal crowd is here- including Sebastian and his crowd. "Uh, hey guys," I address to the band, "Playing for Keeps?" I offer. They all nod and I smirk.

_You prayed to have your name, scattered on the lips of the young.__  
__And now you claim, that it's you in the tips of their tongues.__  
__If your proud of what you had to kill to get your thrill, well.__  
__It must sting to Give up everything and realize that they don't want you.___

_It's lonely road, where the forgotten go.__  
__Where your misery finds it's company.__  
__It's a long way down, to the, sacred grounds.__  
__Where the reapers playing for keeps.___

_Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.__  
__Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.___

_A hollow sound, is ringing where your heart used to be.__  
__Have you found, that the admiration will never set you free?__  
__Get your lies prepared, your next in line for judgments day.__  
__Now, aren't you prayin' aren't you begging that it's anyone else?___

_It's a lonely road, where the forgotten go.__  
__Where your misery finds it's company.__  
__It's a long way down, to the, sacred grounds.__  
__Where the reapers playing for keeps.___

_Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.__  
__Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.___

_Well I bet you're sorry now.__  
__You did this to yourself.__  
__Well I bet you're sorry now.__  
__Well aren't you sorry now?___

_It's lonely road, where the forgotten go.__  
__Where your misery finds it's company.__  
__It's a long way down, to the, sacred grounds.__  
__Where the reapers playing for keeps.___

_Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.__  
__Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.___

_It's lonely road, where the forgotten go.__  
__Where your misery finds it's company.__  
__It's a long way down, to the, sacred grounds.__  
__Where the reapers playing for keeps.___

_Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh.__  
__Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh. Whoa-oh-oh-oh-oh-oh._

I let a small giggle pass my lips after the last verse. Everyone claps and I sneak a peek at Jace who seems impressed and is looking at me in admiration. I scoff and brush it off as we begin to play more songs.

We end after about an hour and a half of playing and my throat is raw and my voice is husky. I put my guitar away and help put up amps. I am closing the door when I feel a familiar warm hand on my shoulder. I turn around and place my back at the door. "What do you want Jace?" I ask coldly.

"I want to ask you why you're being like this… it's kind of unsettling for me."

I tilt my head at him and furrow my eyebrows. "Unsettling for YOU? What in the world kind of bullshit is THAT!? YOU cheated on ME. YOU told everyone that WE slept together! Maybe it's my fucked up judge of character, but I think I have a perfect reason to be acting the way I am! I mean, it's not like I have people at home to settle me down, or did you forget that too? No… no you couldn't have… because you told EVERYONE that too!" I shove past him and start towards the door until I feel a rough hand grip onto my wrist. We are in the middle of the café but I don't care, I've been waiting to blow up at him for ages.

"You don't even want to listen to what I have to say?!" he asks incredulously.

My voice is still a little husky and now it is starting to shake with the warning of tears. "No, no I don't! I let you in and you judged me! I told you everything and you judged me! You told people. You are an asshole and I hope I never have to see you again." I hear people clap and whistle at my outburst and I am able to wring my wrist form Jace's clutch. I walk out of the café and away from the applauding crowd.

**Later that night-**

Izzy texted me:

_**Way to go grl! I am so proud! ;)**_

I raise my eyebrows in curiosity and suspicion and I reply,

_What are you talking about? _

_**Just watch the video! Apparently someone at Java caught you on video! It's awesome!**_

She sends me a video and I watch it. It's a video of mine and Jace's fight earlier today. The person didn't get the whole thing but you can hear me say, "_I let you in and you judged me! I told you everything and you judged me! You told people. You are an asshole and I hope I never have to see you again!_

I give a small laugh and silently pat myself on the back in my choice of words. Now everyone knows better than to mess with me.

**A/N: okay, I got a little inspiration from Silver Linings Playbook. If you have seen that movie, you probably know which part. If you haven't seen the movie- WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU!? No, just kidding, but seriously you should watch it. **

**The song is Playing for Keeps, by. Elle King**

**Chapter 2 songs- the scientist, by. Coldplay**

** Skinny Love, by Bon Iver**

**THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE PLEASE REVIEW!**


	4. Chapter 4

School is well… different. When I walk through the halls, I am not called names or tripped anymore, though I do still get plenty of glares from Kaelie and Seelie and Aline. Sebastian on the other hand, is very persistent in getting me to go to the fall mixer with him… I have to say that the idea makes me want to barf.

I stare at the ceiling with my arms crossed over my sheets while the early sunlight fills my room. My alarm hasn't gone off yet so I made no effort to remove myself from the warm sheets that encases my body. It has been two weeks since I yelled at Jace and since then, I have apparently earned some cred around school- other than Sebastian and his gang. I look at my clock once more and see that it says 6:29. One more minute and… BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP. Even though I was expecting the disturbance, it still makes me cringe.

I slam the clock in order to get it to stop its insufferable blaring and then peel myself out of the warmth and comfort that my brown sheets provide me with. Cool air whips at my pale legs and I make a bee line to the bathroom and turn on the shower. Hot water pours down my back and relaxes me completely. I sigh but then groan at the thought that I have to get out again. I grab a towel and wrap it around my hair and grab another towel to drape around my soaking body. I dry my hair and put on a pair of washed out, skinny, ankle jeans with rips in the knees, a grey layered tank top, a navy and white striped shrug sweater, an orange beanie, and a pair of black leather lace-up boots. I do my makeup and let my hair fall in subtle waves down my back and shoulders.

I grab my phone and sunglasses and head out the door and go to school, but first stop by the coffee shop for my regular. "Hey Clare, you here for your usual?" asks Sam behind the counter.

I grin and nod my head which earns a laugh from him as he says okay and begins pouring the black liquid into a Styrofoam cup. He hands me the cup and I put a sleeve on it. I hand him a five dollar bill and tell him to keep the change before walking out and returning to walk to school.

When I enter the building I get multiple 'heys' from people that I have never really talked to. I smile and nod at them before going to my locker. "Clary Morgenstern!" I hear being yelled playfully from down the hall. I turn my head away from the locker and lock eyes with the lovable Simon Lewis.

"Why hello Mr. Lewis," I say in an authoritative manor.

He scrunches his face up in distaste and says, "Never talk like that again. You sound like my mother."

I laugh and he leans up against the locker next to me and rambles on about nonsense until Izzy comes up and pecks him on the lips. "Hey Iz," I say to her.

"Hey Clare, I forgot to ask if you were going to the fall mixer tonight?"

"Uh… nah, it's not really my 'scene' I guess you could call it."

I grab my books from the locker and close the metal door with an audible clang. "Oh COME ON CLARY!" she yells out, "It's just like a big party and the whole school is going to be there… and there's going to be music and food and drinks and cute guys that we can talk about when you come over later!" I see Simon make a face of protest but Izzy shuts him up by kissing him once more.

"Ha, well if by whole school you mean the people that used to make my life hell, and by good music you mean terrible karaoke and overplayed Katy Perry songs, and by cute guys you mean Jason Carlyle… nah, I'll pass," I say and begin to walk to my next class.

"Clarissa Adele Morgenstern! I can't believe you would put me through such turmoil! I thought we were friends! But I guess I was wrong!" she yells out dramatically so everyone can hear and she wipes a pretend tear off her unstained cheek. I see Simon roll his eyes and a smile tug at his lips.

Everyone is staring at us in anticipation to see what I will do next. I roll my eyes, not really in the mood for a scene, and walk back over to Izzy. "Fine… fine… fine."

She squeals and says, "Okay, I'm going to come over later and do your makeup, yeah?" I nod and we part way to go to our classes.

I walk into my art class and the first thing I see is Jace making out with Kaelie- again. I roll my eyes and ignore the slight clench that my heart automatically does whenever I see him. I scold myself for ever feeling something like that for him. I am about to walk to my seat when I see that the desk they are sitting on is in fact _mine._ I groan again, more loudly this time and walk over to the happy couple. I cough and say, "I hardly think school is the appropriate time to contract an STD. I am trying actually to learn something, not watch live porn. So if you wouldn't mind…" I gesture for them to move with my free hand that isn't holding coffee.

"Shut up slut! No one asked for your opinion!" yells Kaelie and she smiles, thinking what she said was pretty clever.

"Now now Kaelie, let's not get fact and opinion confused. Because the _fact_ is that if you two keep it up, I can predict herpes in Jace's near future," then I say to Jace, "You may want to use some mouthwash when you get home."

He smirks at me and I just roll my eyes with my usual look of disgust on my face which makes the usual look of regret return to his face. Without another word and just a scowl, Kaelie scoots off my desk and goes over to Sebastian and Seelie and Aline to gossip and complain. Jace, however, just stands at my desk and stares at me with a neutral look on his face. I take a long drink of my coffee and ask, "What do you want?"

As if he didn't realize his stare, he blinks a few times and stutters out, "Uh… uh I want to talk… about what happened."

I give a harsh laugh that reaches my eyes and scratches my throat. "Damn," I say, "And I thought I had finally scared you off at the café."

He rolls his eyes and says, 'I'm trying to make nice here."

"You have a very peculiar way of showing it… very peculiar indeed." I divert my gaze away from him again and set my coffee down on the desk before pulling out my iPod and sketch pad and turning my music on _Cosmic Love_ by. Florence + The Machine. I start sketching a coffee cup, completely away of the fact Jace has not moved yet.

Tired of being ignored, Jace pulls the earplugs out of my ears and says, "I just want to apologize!" I can see the patience wearing out of him quickly so I say,

"Noted, now leave me alone!" I expected him to accept this response and leave but instead, a wicked smirk is pulled on his lips and he says,

"I know how to make you forgive me."

I divert my eyes back to the pad and begin shading again and mutter in a dull voice, "Enlighten me."

"Gladly, come with me to the Fall Mixer tonight."

I look back up at him to see if he was joking but his face still holds that smirk and a seriousness in his eyes tells me that this is no joke. I laugh another sharp laugh and say, "You are very conceited!"

"How am I conceited?!" he asks back.

I raise both of my eyebrows and ask, "Seriously? You can ask me that? Let's make a list of all the things that describe Jace Lightwoods conceitedness- one, your ego is the size of Manhattan and then some. Two, you parade around the school like you own it and like you can get any girl you so desire. Three, you are more than willing to betray people that you supposedly care about. Four, y-" but he finally gets tired of my ranting and stops me.

"Damn, do you just sit around all day and think of me?" I glare at him which makes him stop joking.

"Please… my last chance! If I screw this up you can do whatever you want to me, and I mean ANYTHING." At the last part he raises his eyebrows suggestively and I remember a time when I would have laughed at that but now the memory just repulses me.

"Well, because you asked so nicely…" I begin and then I get up and pour the remaining coffee on his black V-Neck. He stares at me wide-eyed and I ask, "Answer your question?"

Before he can say anything though, Kaelie is at his side completely distraught over the situation as though she was his mother. "OMG how dare you do that to Jacey! You are such a grade A Ahole with a serious attitude problem you know that?! Oh Jace, are you okay? Does it burn?"

I laugh at Kaelie silently and just stare at Jace who is looking back at me in nothing but astonishment. I sit down again and Jace storms out of the room, probably to get a new shirt. "Wow Red, I didn't know you had it in you," says a devious voice behind me. I turn around and meet the soulless eyes of Sebastian.

"I'm not really the same Clary I was a month ago Verlac," I snap back at him.

"Oh I definitely noticed. So again, will you please come with me tonight?"

I roll my eyes and find myself surprised that they haven't rolled all the way back in my head and I say, "I sure do hope idiocy isn't contagious because if it is, I am almost positive I could be infected. No Sebastian, I will absolutely not go with you."

He mutters something but then goes back to his seat as the bell rings and the teacher comes in and begins her lecture on oil pastel properties. I tune her out and begin to sketch on the canvas.

The next two classes pass easily and I begin to walk to lunch. "Clary, you are like, my hero," says a bubbly voice behind me. I turn around and see the ever so glittery Magnus with a funny grin on his face and Alec at his arm.

"So you heard?" I ask.

"Of course, everyone heard Clary. Jace seems kind of mad about if too," says Alec surprisingly with a smile on his face as well.

I look at Alec and am about to say something else when Izzy comes up behind me. "I LOVE YOU!" she yells in my ear.

I laugh and push her back playfully, causing her to giggle as well. "I didn't realize that people would find out so quickly," I say nervously. People already treat me different enough, what happens when they find out that I'm not afraid to dump coffee on someone?

Everyone starts talking about it again and I silence them by saying, "Okay guys, can we get food… yeah I like food."

"Fine, fine," says Izzy and I go get a burger and a bag of Cheetos and some water.

I sit at my usual table with Izzy and Simon who arrived moments later. "Heard about your glorious stunt earlier," says Si.

"Yeah yeah, can we talk about it later?" I ask, becoming tired of the subject. He nods and I begin to eat until my gaze settles on a mop of gold entering the cafeteria.

"Oh Jesus…" I say. Jace walks in with a scowl on his face and a girl on his arm and a new shirt on. I laugh a bit and he sees me.

A smirk replaces his scowl and he walks over to me with the girl who couldn't be more uninterested in me as she pops her gum and examines her cuticles.

"I tried playing nice Clary, now I have no choice… hope you are prepared at the Fall Mixer because… I have a surprise for you love." I stand up from my place and do my best to look intimidating as I walk over to him so that our faces are only inches apart and say,

"Try anything tonight, and I swear to the angel that you will regret it," I nudge him back and say before sitting down, "and don't call me 'love.'"

**A/N: I guess Clary is transforming a little, yeah? Well I have good news and I have bad news. Good news is that I got 2****nd**** overall at regionals with a 16:05 5K time and I get to go to state! Bad news is because I am going to state, I have to spend a little more time away from the computer :( don't worry though! I will try to update on the weekends some more!**

**Tell me all if you want to see some on Jonathan maybe? I'm not sure whether or not to include him in the story or what.**

**Thanks for reading! Wish me luck at State! Please REVIEW!**


	5. Chapter 5

After school, I told Izzy that I would rather her come over to my house to get ready because I really didn't feel like dodging her brother. While I go upstairs to change into an outfit of MY liking, Izzy runs downstairs to get my speaker and plugs up my ipod to the old thing and hits shuffle. And I can feel the smirk appear on my lips when I hear the first song play. Cosmic Love- by. Florence + The Machine.

_A falling star fell from your heart and landed in my eyes__  
__I screamed aloud, as it tore through them, and now it's left me blind___

_The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out__  
__You left me in the dark__  
__No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight__  
__In the shadow of your heart___

_And in the dark, I can hear your heartbeat__  
__I tried to find the sound__  
__But then it stopped, and I was in the darkness,__  
__So darkness I became___

_The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out__  
__You left me in the dark__  
__No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight__  
__In the shadow of your heart___

_I took the stars from my eyes, and then I made a map__  
__And knew that somehow I could find my way back__  
__Then I heard your heart beating, you were in the darkness too__  
__So I stayed in the darkness with you___

_The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out__  
__You left me in the dark__  
__No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight__  
__In the shadow of your heart___

_The stars, the moon, they have all been blown out__  
__You left me in the dark__  
__No dawn, no day, I'm always in this twilight__  
__In the shadow of your heart_

When the song is over, I am dressed and ready for Izzy to abuse my hair and face with products. I had changed into a light pair of skinny jeans, my 'We The Free' Kyoto Cuff Thermal, my favorite Patchwork Beanie, a crescent crystal collar necklace along with a Kniezewski Statement Necklace and a Vintage Deco Heart Rosary necklace, and a Triple tear drop ring, and embellished tonic ring, and my Ashton ring. I slipped on my leather 1968 ankle boots and then presented myself to Izzy.

"Ugh! Absolutely gorgeous! Looks like someone has been rubbing their fashion sense off on someone," she says and winks at me. I scoff and roll my eyes.

"Hey Iz, um I was thinking, how about NO MAKEUP?!" I ask- more like pleaded. She raises her eyebrows up at me and asks,

"Seriously? You can ask ME that?" I groan and reply, "It was worth a shot."

She shakes her head and motions for me to sit down in front of her, I was just thankful that she decided to leave my hair alone after I had put the beanie on.

"So do you have any idea what plans Jace has for you this evening?" asks Izzy as she applies a light coat of light brown on my eyes.

"I was actually going to ask you that question," I reply.

"You really think he would tell me? Your best friend?" she asks as though I was an infant.

"Like he would tell me!" I yell back in my defense.

"Okay, okay… and we are done!" she turns me around and I don't really notice anything that different other than the fact that the eye shadow makes my eyes pop and the bronzer makes my cheek bones more angular and the mascara makes my eyelashes a lot longer and fuller and… okay, yeah, Izzy did good.

"Can I wear something of yours tonight?" she asks me as she rummages through my closet.

"Sure, but none of it is probably your taste… it's all from Free People and Anthropologie."

She groans first and then says, "I can make it work." I laugh and begin looking through my playlist on my ipod.

"Clary… seriously… you are the only one who can pull this stuff off! What about that stuff from Gucci that I gave you that one time?"

"Oh, uh that's in that little box in the back of the closet." I point to the back and Izzy yells out,

"You mean you haven't even tried it on?!" I laugh a bit and ask,

"Did you really expect me to? You said yourself that it wasn't really me but you would give it to me anyway."

She rolls her eyes and mumbles something under her breath but digs the box out anyway. She pulls from the box a high low, black skirt and a black crop top with white pumps- only Izzy. "This would actually look good on you Clary, if you would just give it a chance instead of that weird… hippy rustic look."

I roll my eyes at her back and say, "I like my weird hippy rustic look!"

"At least it works for you!" she says with a playful grin.

"What's that supposed to mean!?" I yell back with a smirk.

"Oh nothing," she answers, "Now, come on! I want to get there so I can 'accidently' push you into Johnny Lucas- then you guys can fall in love and have really cute kids! I mean your green eyes with his dark hair- PERFECTION!"

I laugh at her as we get in the car. "You mean Johnny Lucas as in the guy that sits behind me in Biology and hums Of Monsters and Men all the time? Nah, I think I'm good."

"Why do you always judge guys like that, you don't know him!" she yells at me accusingly as she starts the car.

"Precisely, I don't know him- so I'm not going to fall in love with him. I've decided that love is just an illusion." I look out my window and try to ignore the memories of when I thought I was in love.

"Whatever, turn on the radio!" she yells at me and I push the button that turns on the sweet music.

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.__  
__I'll be the one, if you want me to.__  
__Anywhere, I would've followed you.__  
__Say something, I'm giving up on you.___

_And I am feeling so small.__  
__It was over my head__  
__I know nothing at all.___

_And I will stumble and fall.__  
__I'm still learning to love__  
__Just starting to crawl.___

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.__  
__I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.__  
__Anywhere, I would've followed you.__  
__Say something, I'm giving up on you.___

_And I will swallow my pride.__  
__You're the one that I love__  
__And I'm saying goodbye.___

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.__  
__And I'm sorry that I couldn't get to you.__  
__And anywhere, I would have followed you.__  
__Oh-oh-oh-oh say something, I'm giving up on you.___

_Say something, I'm giving up on you.__  
__Say something..._

"I think I love that song," I say plainly.

"Thought love was just an illusion…" Izzy says playfully as we pull up to the school that is littered with teenagers that try too hard to get drunk, high, or laid.

"Oh Iz, you know that my heart will always belong to three things: art, music, and coffee."

She rolls her eyes and gets out of the car. "I'm going to go find Simon! I'll meet you at the punch bowl, yeah?" I nod my head to her and she hurries away to find Si.

I start walking over to the bowl of reddish liquid when a hand on my shoulder stops me. I turn around and say in disgust, "Sebastian…"

"Hello darling, you are looking fine tonight but, you already knew that didn't you?" I lift up one of my eyebrows and roll my head to either side of me as if trying to find an excuse to leave.

"Sorry, but if I wanted petty compliments, I would have stayed home and talked to my Siri… she can come up with better pick up lines than you."

I begin to walk away when Sebastian says, "Can a machine give you this?" he grabs my hand, causing me to turn around, and places an open mouth kiss on my shoulder that was thankfully covered up by my shirt. As he moves away from me I can smell the alcohol on his breath and I cringe at the putrid stench.

"You are revolting," I state plainly and walk away, still trying to scrub the spot away from my shoulder that Sebastian had kissed me. Gross.

I decided to just text Simon and tell him that I was going to be outside if they wanted to join me later but that they should have fun by themselves. I walked out of the auditorium and into the cool breeze. The sun was just starting to go down and I could already see my breath and it was at this time that I cursed myself for not bringing a jacket. I sigh and groan and sigh some more as I wrap my small arms around myself. I lean up against the red brick wall and watch the sun set and listen to the good, but overplayed songs going on inside. They were playing Wake Me Up by Avicii right now and I couldn't help but bob my head to the beat.

_So wake me up when it's all over__  
__When I'm wiser and I'm older__  
__All this time I was finding myself__  
__And I didn't know I was lost_

"Good music, yeah?" asks a deep voice beside me and I immediately know who's it belongs to.

"It's okay… if you like songs that have been played about 50 times a day on the radio. But, as far as I can see, diversity is kind of a hard thing to accept around here."

"Why do you say that?" asks Jace.

I look at him incredulously and exclaim, "Really, you can ask that?! I guess when your ego is as big as yours; common sense doesn't really fit anymore, does it?"

He sighs dramatically and asks, "Can we at least have a civilized conversation… FOR ONCE?! I just want to tell you why I did what I did."

I loll my head over to him without much effort and give him an expectant look. "Fine, fine, this isn't really how I wanted to do this but if you insist, you know I was knew to the school this year and Sebastian made the point that I've never really been um, how do I say this… UNpopular. I agreed and he and all those girls made me want to be a part of their group. I thought that if I wasn't friends with them, I wouldn't be friends with anybody. They told me that if I wanted to hang with them I would have to… well you know. And, Clary… those weeks that I was with you, I was so happy! I really did fall in love with you… I hate that I hurt you…"

I stare back at him and then I can't help but burst into a fit of laughter. "What?!" he yells back at me.

"You're joking… I mean REALLY? You think that after that sob story, I would sympathize with you and then, what- accept you again?"

He diverts his gaze to the cold grass and says, "I was actually hoping you would take me back." he says it so lightly that I almost miss it. I want to laugh again but it seems almost impossible.

"Hell no…" I reply again and then I feel as though the atmosphere of the crowded gym seems much more appealing than a sunset so I walk back inside but before I enter the school, Jace yells out,

"Hey Clary, don't think I didn't forget that little surprise for tonight." I can see his smirk in the fading light but I just roll my eyes and walk back inside.

"Hey Clary, where did you go?" asks Isabelle when I walk over to the punch table.

"Just needed to get some fresh air," I lie- well not completely a lie.

I stop talking to them when I see a mop of gold approach the stage where the DJ was looking at records. Jace whispers something in his ear and slips him what looks like a 20$. The DJ smiles at Jace as he exits the stage and then cuts off the music. There is a chorus of groans that erupt through the place and then the DJ begins to speak into his mike.

"Just hold on, hold on! I have a request from a certain golden boy that goes by the name of Jace Herondale. He wants to dedicate a slow song to a certain lady." I hear girls around the room fawning and swooning and when I look back up at the stage, Jace is standing there again. You would have thought he was royalty or Elton John but no… he was just a quarterback and a midfielder who knows how to get a reputation.

There are multiple girls who yell out 'pick me, pick me' and I laugh at their desperate attempts. "Clary… Clary would you please dance with me?"

Heat rises to my face and I shut my eyes tightly and scrunch up my nose. He can't really be doing this… this is some kind of prank. I watch as he steps off the stage and walks towards me. "Dance with me Clary," he whispers to me and I fell as though I have no choice but to comply. I grit my teeth and take his hand in mine. A victorious smile appears on his lips but I keep my lips in a straight line.

"Thank you," he whispers into my ear and I can feel his hot breath touch the skin and I remember how much I used to love that. Other couples begin dancing as well and I catch the quick glare from envious girls though they don't know that I would do anything to switch them spots right now.

The song starts playing and I whisper, "Not necessarily the slowest song but… it's nice."

_She'll lie and steal, and cheat, and beg you from her knees__  
__Make you think she means it this time__  
__She'll tear a hole in you, the one you can't repair__  
__But I still love her, I don't really care_

"I tried to base it off of personal events," he replies.

_When we were young, oh, oh, we did enough__  
__When it got cold, ooh, ooh, we bundled up__  
__I can't be told, ah, ah, it can't be done___

_It's better to feel pain, than nothing at all__  
__The opposite of love's indifference__  
__So pay attention now, I'm standing on your porch screaming out__  
__And I won't leave until you come downstairs_

"I sure as hell hope you are referring to yourself when you say that because we both know it was not my fault that you cheated on me," I say with venom laced in my words.

_So keep your head up, keep your love__  
__Keep your head up, my love__  
__Keep your head up, keep your love_

"I was referring to myself for your information. You have no idea how hard I am trying to apologize. Next time, I'll just go for a proposal… I have a feeling I'll have more luck doing that." I can hear the grin in his voice and I can't help but chuckle a little myself, "There's that beautiful laugh," he says and I scold myself for blushing.

_And I don't blame you dear for running like you did all these years__  
__I would do the same, you'd best believe__  
__And the highway signs say we're close but I don't read those things anymore__  
__I never trusted my own eyes___

_When we were young oh, oh, we did enough__  
__When it got cold, ooh, ooh we bundled up__  
__I can't be told, ah, ah, it can't be done_

"Are you ever going to give this whole thing up?" I ask quietly.

_So keep your head up, keep your love__  
__Keep your head up, my love_

"Not when I still think I have a chance… so, do I have a chance?" I want to say no… I really want to say no… but if I say no I fear that I'll just crumble.

_Keep your head up, keep your love__  
__Head up, love__  
__Head up, love__  
__Head up, love__  
__Head up, love_

I pull away from Jace and a part of me sighs when I look into his flawless eyes. "You understand that if I say yes… you will have to work hard… like HARD."

His eyes light up a bit and he nods his head, "Yes of course."

I nod and say, "Good luck, you'll need it."

I walk away and I have so many emotions going on inside of me right now that I what I really need is a long bath and a Bradley Cooper marathon. I sit down on one of the chairs seated against the wall and put my hands behind my head and begin to play with a loose strand on my beanie.

I groan when the DJ speaks into the microphone once again. "Hello, hello, it is 8:00 which means it's karaoke hour! We have some people signed up already so let's go for the first signer um… Clary Fray."

My eyes shoot open and I see a bunch of people starring at me. I look over and see Sebastian and Seelie laughing and staring at me so I don't really have to wonder who signed me up. Well… it's not like I haven't played in front of a crowd before… even if this one may be a bit bigger.

I walk on stage and tell the DJ a song that I think I would like to sing. "Um… do you have addicted to love?" The guy nods and the music begins playing. I stare into the eager eyes of all those people who are just waiting for me to mess up so they can laugh and I refuse to let that happen.

_The lights are on, but you're not home__  
__Your mind is not your own__  
__Your heart sweats, your body shakes__  
__Another kiss is what it takes___

_You can't sleep, you can't eat__  
__There's no doubt, you're in deep__  
__Your throat is tight, you can't breathe__  
__Another kiss is all you need___

_Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh Yeah__  
__It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough,__  
__You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love___

_You see the signs, but you can't read__  
__You're running at a different speed__  
__Your heart beats in double time__  
__Another kiss and you'll be mine,___

_A one-track mind, you can't be saved__  
__Oblivion is all you crave__  
__If there's some left for you__  
__You don't mind if you do___

_Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh Yeah__  
__It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough,__  
__You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love___

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love___

_Your lights are on, but you're not home__  
__Your will is not your own__  
__Your heart sweats your teeth grind__  
__Another kiss and you'll be mine___

_Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh Yeah__  
__It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough,__  
__You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love___

_Might as well face it, you're addicted to love_

Everyone claps and I just exit without another word. I sigh when I reach the wood floor and a hand comes down on my shoulder. "Very nice song indeed love. In fact, I bet you can do a lot with that little mouth… other than singing."

"Get off me Sebastian!" I yell at him but the music from another karaoke contestant is so loud that no one but Seb hears me.

"Don't be like that love…" he begins winding his arm around my waist and puts his head in the crook of my neck as I continue to struggle.

"Get off of her Sebastian," says another masculine voice and when Seb doesn't do anything, the stranger punches him in the face- hard. Sebastian falls on the floor and I can see the blood flowing freely out of his nose. I turn around to thank my savior but see that it is the one and only Jace Herondale.

"Hey…" I say blankly.

He laughs and says, "I just basically saved you from unwanted affection and you say 'hey?'"

I roll my eyes and grab his hand and walk outside with him. When we are back in the cool air I say, "You know I meant thank you. So… thanks. Sorry I had to bring you out here to say that uh… you should go back in now."

"You know I would follow you anywhere," he says somewhat longingly. "Anyway," he continues, "Aren't you going to go back in?"

I shake my head and say, "No… no I think I've had enough for quite some time. Parties aren't really my ideal forms of entertainment so…" my voice leads away and I begin walking towards to bus stop and I text Izzy and tell her I'm going home.

"Hey!" calls out Jace from behind me. I turn around and see him running towards me. "You don't have a car," he says.

I pinch my eyebrows together and say, "Nice observation."

"No," he continues, "I mean you don't have a car and it's like 40 degrees out here. What kind of friend would I be if I let you walk home like this?"

I roll my eyes and point out, "I said I would give you a chance… I never said that you were my friend. Besides, I'm not walking… I will take the bus to the nearest stop and walk from there. It's no big deal."

He looks at me and says exaggeratedly, "Ugh! Clary just let me take you home!"

I look at him for a moment but then say, "Fine."

**A/N: So… how was it?**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


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